Social media on Black Friday: It's in the bag

Customers play with an iPad 2 while shopping for electronics on Black Friday at Best Buy in Schaumburg in 2011. You can use social media to find Black Friday deals this year.

Customers play with an iPad 2 while shopping for electronics on Black Friday at Best Buy in Schaumburg in 2011. You can use social media to find Black Friday deals this year. (Scott Strazzante/Chicago Tribune)

Scott Kleinberg, Tribune Newspapers

When it comes to holiday shopping, Black Friday is like the Super Bowl. Winning is everything, losing hurts and all eyes are on your offense and defense.

The most hardcore shoppers already have a game plan. They already have six alarm clocks set and know precisely what time they'll get in line at their favorite store.

But maybe you don't, and that's fine. A few minutes on your favorite social media platforms can give everyone the appearance you've been ready for weeks.

Twitter: #BlackFriday and #BlackFridayDeals

Hashtags are great for organization, but bad in that anyone can tweet anything. So if it sounds too good to be true, it might be. But major retailers and smaller merchants alike are using the hashtags to spread the word about special deals. Bonus: Go to search.twitter.com and click advanced search to filter tweets to your local area.

Instagram: #BlackFriday

On Instagram, you can see anything from signs poking fun at the Black Friday phenomenon to photos of ads from newspapers and magazines to photos of people already standing in line. Yes, you read that correctly – they're already standing in line. As lines grow on Thursday and Friday, expect to see the volume under the #BlackFriday hashtag grow quickly.

Right now, searching Black Friday on Pinterest yields beautiful photos that serve as a type of visual wish list. There's some of the same when searching Cyber Monday, which is always the first Monday after Black Friday, but there are a surprising number of graphics explaining the origins of this day as well as tips for safe shopping online.

Foursquare: Don't forget to check in

Who says only mayors get the best deals? Those tips you are used to seeing whenever you check in to a restaurant or store can be extra valuable this week. I searched Black Friday in my immediate area and quickly found five stores mentioning discounts for checking in to the special sales. One sale was for 20 percent off and was applicable for the entire Thanksgiving week.

Facebook: Use caution

Posts containing things such as "like within 3 seconds to win a gift card" are not real. I strongly advise visiting the Facebook page of your favorite brands directly and look for sales information there rather than relying on your friends — who could also be duped into sharing something they shouldn't — or other sites that promise to gather all the ads in one convenient place.

Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving, everyone.

So Social is a social media tips column by The Tribune Media Group's Amy Guth and Scott Kleinberg. Tweet them at @amyguth and @scottkleinberg.